All That Matters
by MidnightGemstone
Summary: What do a high school runaway, a janitor and a hotel owner have in common? Not much at first, that is until destiny intercedes and flourishes a bond between these three that they'll keep in their hearts for a lifetime. Puzzleshipping; Eventual Mobiumshipping; AU.
1. What's he hiding?

**Author's Note:** This story will roughly be about 10 chapters long, medium to fast paced. That's what I'm aiming for, at least. I'll proofread later when I have some more time.

**Warnings:** Yaoi/shounen-ai. Lemons/limes in later chapters. Mature themes. OOCness (mainly in Atem)

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters, nor do I make a profit from these stories. This is for entertainment purposes ONLY.

* * *

It was the same routine every single day:

Wake up, hurry and get ready for school, meet Joey outside his own house, and in the afternoons, when Joey is far enough away from his house that he won't suspect anything, Yugi sneaks off to another location that only he knows about. And then he stays there all night until he repeats the cycle the very next morning.

This has been going on for about three months and each and every day, Yugi could feel his conscious eating away at him. Having to lie to his best friend about his home life each and every single day sickened him like a terminal illness. Part of the reason why Yugi kept his secret regimen to himself was because he was still trying to figure out what he should do about it. The last time he made a major decision, it literally cost him his livelihood, so he wasn't sure if lightning would strike twice and he couldn't take that chance. Not until he had a backup plan.

He couldn't hear Joey over his smothering thoughts one Tuesday afternoon as they typically walked home from school. The sky was party cloudy but the sun barely made its presence known. Even the slightest autumn wind chilled Yugi's bones down to the core. Joey offered him his jacket, but Yugi's pride wouldn't let him accept it, and plus, that was the last thing on his mind.

"I think you need this more than me," Joey told him. Yugi was wearing a black short-sleeved Polo shirt from Dickies and uniformed shorts. Joey was wearing the same, except he wore dark khaki classic fit pleated pants. He was a little self conscious about the length of his legs.

"I'm fine Joey, really," Yugi insisted, almost as if the mantra had been repeated numerous times in his head and he would state it towards anyone who asked. "It's not that long of a walk, and I can turn on the heater when I get home." _Which was a lie._

"If you say so. I was wondering though if your parents would let me spend the night this weekend so we can work on that Economics project together. And I promise not to eat the displays this time."

Yugi's throat tightened. He hadn't realized that he stopped walking until Joey asked him if there was something wrong. Wiping the expression off his face, Yugi smiled at him and said everything was cool and that he could come over. He just needed to clean up a little bit.

Their journey eventually came to an end when the concrete pavement faded into a chalky, dusty road, with a row of flowers ascending the left side leading all the way to the Victorian style house with a wraparound porch, which overlooked the rose garden in the front. The steel tipped gate at the entrance required a security code, which was surrounded by two brick pillars on either side. The narrow walkway snaked around the corner towards the front door and no matter where you looked, roses and other assorted flowers and shrubs crowded the area. It was a claustrophobic's nightmare.

"What kind of food should we get?" Joey thought out loud. "The teacher said we would need to come up with something that would make the most money but it has to be a recipe that we thought of on our own, and I'm stumped."

"You? The food master stumped? I guess there's a first time for everything," Yugi laughed.

"Yeah, but you wouldn't know anything about that."

"Oh shut up."

Joey couldn't hold back his laughter when Yugi's face turned bright red. It was always a point of his to poke fun at his virginity. Hell, even Anzu knew what it was like, though she was more discreet about it. That didn't mean Joey needed to bring it up constantly though.

"I'll see you later Yug', I need to start looking up recipes. Call me if you come up with anything. Well actually—"

"Don't even finish that sentence," Yugi scowled making a face. "Just get outta here Chuckles."

Amazing how he could know what Joey was thinking before he did; Dirty minded scoundrel.

After taking a few more harmless playful jabs, Joey finally left. Yugi breathed a sigh of relief, happy that his parents hadn't come home during that whole thing. Who knew what kind of drama would unravel from them even smelling Yugi in their presence. Yugi didn't even want to fathom.

Devin and Samantha Muto. Two high profile district attorneys who built their reputation on being the best. Bringing down every single low life in the city of Domino to their knees with the proverbial weight of the law on their scrawny shoulders. Ruthless and aggressive, they took no prisoners with their intolerable attitudes and stony expressions that turned any hard criminal into melted butter. With their background, no one dare try and defend any of these low class hoodlums—they'd be lucky to leave the courtroom with their dignity intact that day. Because of this, they had no friends or even mere acquaintances. That bothered them not because they didn't build their careers depending on something as useless as friendship.

They were on the border of being high functioning sociopaths if it weren't for the birth of Yugi. He brought to them color in their black and white world, a peaceful pause in the constant bustle and hustle of every day life working in a legal firm. There was almost never any room for happiness or relaxation, as work was always on the agenda. Devin and Samantha almost didn't know what vacations meant. Unfortunately, no one told them that it was okay to take a break every once in a while to maintain their sanity.

When Yugi was born, they were practically forced to take time off work. Samantha stayed home for the first six weeks of Yugi's life while Devin was the central breadwinner in the family. This was a methodical way of bringing a sense of normalcy back into their lives, if that were even remotely possible. The two parents had no idea how to take care of and look after another human being, other than themselves. Selfishness was a constant and they were ignorant of change.

As Yugi got older, life got easier. Samantha was able to go back to work alongside her husband while Yugi was watched over by his grandfather. Soon after that, the duo was right back to their original cutthroat mentalities, especially while in the courtroom, slicing and dicing up their opposition and daring anyone to say otherwise against their arguments. It was as though they didn't miss a beat during their leave of absence. Devin would always open up with a remarkable, almost academy award winning statement to the jury and Samantha was always the adamant cosigner. Their dynamic chemistry and ground shaking evidence earned them an eighty-nine percent conviction rate.

That was all fine and dandy but . . . Yugi needed parents. _Actual_ parents. Most days while the three of them were home, they barely even paid him any attention. They were always too busy doing God knows what, and if it weren't for grandpa, Yugi would've been completely ignored altogether. For the longest time, Yugi never knew why his parents were so emotionless and void of nurture. It made being himself even harder as he was growing up. Whenever Yugi was proud of an accomplishment he made in school, no matter how honorable, it was never enough. He always could "improve" or "do better next time". What was he, an android?

Nobody was perfect, but you couldn't tell that to Devin and Samantha Muto. Anything less than impeccable was unacceptable in their eyes. After a while of constant rejection, Yugi just gave up trying to impress them. Super glue couldn't keep them together and once Yugi realized that they were just three people who were too different to relate to one another, he grew more and more reclusive each day. It didn't help matters much when he started taking up habits that he knew his parents wouldn't approve of. How much would they flip if they found out that Yugi enjoyed the world of Cosmetology and didn't give two shits about studying law? Not only that, but he was thinking about pursuing a career in the hairdressing field?

Well . . . now they knew, along with other things and because of that, Yugi found himself making a way back onto the pavement towards the crosswalk. Once he reached the other side safely, it would be a long trek towards Trinity Plaza, but it was either that or sleep on the park benches again and Yugi was hell bent on never having to experience that ever in his natural born life. He felt bad for what he was about to do, but he didn't think he had any other choice. His parents didn't support him and he couldn't tell Joey just yet about his secret, at least until the time was right and they weren't so swamped with schoolwork.

Before he could even step foot inside the plaza, Yugi would need money and lots of it. Usually a person in his situation would be scrounging and struggling, but luckily he had rich parents who were quite careless with their money sometimes. It was quite surprising since they were tightwads in any other aspect in life, you'd think they would be with their money too. But Yugi relied on the fact that they took their money and careers for granted.

The sad part is, just like everything else, Yugi's parents wouldn't even notice if there was money missing from their bank accounts since they make "so much", so it wouldn't have mattered. Yugi reached the Bank of America, clutching his collar as the sharp breeze chilled him right to the bone, harboring unwanted chills down his back. He hurried his tread to the ATM machine and inserted his mother's debit card, punching in the pin number when the machine prompted him to. Before withdrawing the money, he wanted to know how much money she had in her account, just out of curiosity.

Yugi almost had to pick his face up from the ground. _$304,978_. And that was only his mother's account. His father probably had more.

"All that money and they're still miserable," he muttered bitterly. Shaking his head dismissing the negative feelings about his parents, he took out $2000. _They make more than that in one day,_ he thought. _They won't notice it missing. _Not feeling any sense of guilt for some reason, Yugi quickly pocketed the money and made his way towards Trinity Plaza, which wasn't too far from his current location. It was beginning to grow dark and quite frankly spooky and the chilly wind wasn't helping matters much. Yugi picked up the pace, anticipating the rich Egyptian cotton sheets that awaited him in one of the lavish hotel rooms, in addition to the plush and pristine cream carpet floor, small balcony and double headed showers with water that Yugi could be doused with all day if he had the time. He felt absolutely spoiled at this place, and he could stay here as long as he wanted if he kept paying.

The entrance towards the hotel was a long walkway underneath a canopy surrounded by six pillars for awesome shade before guests could reach the lobby. No matter how many times Yugi came here, the décor was always so impressive and amazing and he could barely peel his eyes from the furnishings and color schemes. When he walked into the foyer he was greeted by the bellhop named Tristan who was somewhat of an acquaintance to Yugi but they only spoke on formal terms or at least subjects that Yugi was comfortable sharing. He was far from a friend.

As usual, Tristan offered Yugi a warm and cordial smile, and shook his hand. Yugi smiled back but noticed that Tristan had a different gleam in his chestnut eyes than usual. Yugi looked down at the floor trying to avoid the scrutiny, but he felt Tristan's eyes boring a hole into him and he couldn't help but look back up.

_What's this guy's problem?_ Yugi thought.

Tristan must have read the expression on his face. "Everything good?"

"Yeah, as always," was Yugi's short reply. Feeling a bit annoyed, he recoiled his hand free from Tristan's grip and continued to walk to the check in line.

"Need help with your bags?" he heard Tristan call out in the distance.

"No."

And that was the end of that conversation. The sound of Yugi's shoes echoed against the marble tiled floor as he walked towards the table for check in. Pulling out the money he would need to cover for at least the first night, Yugi stopped when he locked eyes with the clerk behind the table.

Or was this guy a clerk at all? Wearing a navy slim fit cotton pinstripe suit, along with a necktie, cufflinks and cummerbund to fit, Yugi was looking into the mahogany eyes of a James Bond doppelganger. Except this guy had even, polished cocoa buttered skin that was only seen in movies or high profile magazines. He had lips so smooth and silky, they appeared to be painted on with a finely tipped paintbrush, untouched and plumped to perfection. His hair . . . what wasn't spectacular about it? The way the platinum fringes sat near his forehead and accentuated a shadow across those eyes, making them appear even more mysterious than they already were.

Yugi couldn't feel his legs. _His body. _It was like this guy transfixed him to complete numbness, caught in a web of lustful desire and painful yearning. It's been way too long since he made eye contact with someone so attractive and picturesque. The man stared back at Yugi. Or maybe it was right through him, not that Yugi would know the difference. What he did know was that he had to find out who this guy was.

_Duh. Look at his nametag. _Yugi had to blink a few times to moisten his pupils and refocus his eyes a bit. He'd been staring longer than he realized. Whew, good thing this guy didn't say anything. He was probably used to people gawking.

Atem? Huh. At first the name didn't register. But when it eventually did, Yugi's eyelids widened before he could catch them.

"I know what you're thinking," Atem said, his voice sounding like roasted coffee. "And yes I do own this hotel, as well as an entire chain of them here on the west coast."

Yugi gulped. Harder than he realized. He no longer knew what the hell he was doing there or if he even belonged there. The owner of the Trinity Plaza was sexy as fuck and was never even seen inside this place until today. Yugi had to pat himself on the back later for deciding to return here to rest his head, but for now, he had to get a bit of more information on Atem's background.

Or could he, knowing how bad he was at talking to attractive people?

"No offense, but are you going to pay for a room or just stare at me all night? Because other people need my help," Atem stated with a glint of exasperation in his eyes.

Oh. That's what he was there for. Reaching into his pocket feeling the wad of cash, Yugi felt thoroughly embarrassed for making the guy feel uncomfortable with his awkward staring.

"Sorry about that," he mumbled ruefully.

"You renting a room or not?"

"Of course I am."

"Where are your parents? You shouldn't be here alone, kid."

Yugi scowled, but kept a stiff upper lip. "I'm eighteen sir."

Atem scoffed arrogantly. "I'm sure you are."

Whatever kind words Yugi had for this guy just flew out of the window. "I wouldn't be here alone if I wasn't. I'm not that stupid."

"Coulda fooled me."

Who did this guy think he was? King of the fucking world? Owner or not, this jerk had no right to talk down on Yugi like he was a bum on the street. Yugi could feel his temper slipping but decided that this guy was an asshole on his own time and not Yugi's. "Just give me a damn room," he demanded, slamming a hundred-dollar bill on the counter. Atem rolled his eyes and took the bill, holding it up to the light, and then for some odd reason, flicking it with his thumb and index finger.

"You got some mouth kid. Didn't your parents ever teach you some manners?"

"No."

Atem perched an eyebrow at that answer. He didn't know if Yugi was being serious or not but either way, this kid was becoming a little nuisance. He didn't come down for his annual visit to put up with snot nosed teenagers. Whatever. Atem reluctantly handed Yugi a key and offered a malicious smile before walking off towards the back. Yugi felt a little put off by Atem's hasty attitude—okay, a lot put off because he initially found the guy to be extremely good looking. Until he opened his mouth.

That's just the way the cookie crumbled, Yugi guessed. It wasn't as though he was alien to that kind of behavior; his parents acted the same way. Refusing to fraternize with anyone who didn't make as much money as they did. It was asinine.

Not trying to be too bothered by the poor treatment, Yugi walked towards the central elevators. The lighting from the chandeliers on the ceiling were a bit too bright for his liking and though the evening was become apparent there were still quite a few people hanging out around the bars, lounges and exit at the other end of the hotel that housed a swimming pool behind it. Though that did sound like a good idea, Yugi wasn't too interested. He was tired mentally and physically and he had to start thinking of ideas for his project with Joey. On top of that, he needed to figure out how he was even going to reveal to Joey his living situation.

There was way too much on his mind to even think about school. Yugi then remembered his earphones in his bag. Standing near the elevator waiting for it to reach the first floor, he decided to play some TKO by Justin Timberlake to relax himself. It was going to be a long and lonely night, just like any other night.

"Wait, hold that door open for me! Please!"

Yugi almost didn't see the frantic person running behind him, pushing a janitor's cart inside of the elevator before it was shut in his face. The volume was up too loud, and if it weren't for the actual trolley being motioned back and forth because of the heavy wobbling, Yugi wouldn't have noticed until he turned around.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I'm sorry," he cried, feeling immediate guilt for not hearing the guy's pleads.

"It's quite alright," he replied. "I see you had your headphones on, so all is forgiven."

"I'm really sorry…" Yugi's voice trailed off as he further inspected his elevator buddy up and down, and none too discreetly. He was taller than Yugi, which wasn't saying much—half of the population over the age of thirteen towered over him. The nameless man had on an employee uniform, which was a navy jumpsuit that hugged his narrow waist and seemingly endless legs. Simple enough but Yugi couldn't stop eyeballing the guy, who also had the prettiest cream skin this side of town. His lips were a luscious pink and he had dreamy eyes, almost like looking into a starry universe of scarlet. Broad shoulders that didn't appear to belong to him considering the rest of his slender body cascaded from a vertical origin. His mouth was pulled into a warm and curious smirk as he observed Yugi stare him down like a new piece of furniture. The man wouldn't admit it out loud but he liked the attention, mainly because he wasn't very used to getting any, considering what he did for a living.

"It's no problem at all," the housekeeper repeated genially, as though Yugi couldn't hear him the first place. "No harm, no foul."

"Okay," Yugi grinned sheepishly and had to remind himself to breathe. It was hard enough being cramped in a small space without this man candy taking away his much needed oxygen. "Umm, my name is Yugi by the way."

"Yami. I'm new here." Well that explains why Yugi hadn't seen him before.

There was a pause. A very long pause.

"So….."

". . . So?"

In all this commotion, Yugi hadn't noticed that he didn't press any button to move the elevator up. Luckily, Yami did.

"What floor, Yugi?"

"Huh?" was the dazed response.

"The floor that your room is on?" Yami echoed, smiling patiently at this obviously tense individual. "You know . . . the room that you paid for?"

"Right," Yugi muttered, wanting to slap himself for asking such a dumb question and the fact that he felt his face heating up. Of all times, why now in front of this gorgeous cup of vanilla pudding? "Umm I'm on the tenth floor."

"Ironic, that's where I'm assigned to clean for the night," said Yami, side smirking. Yugi's face flushed a tomato red when he noticed Yami's satisfaction with his announcement. Butterflies the size of killer whales swam inside of Yugi's stomach, bringing a weakness to his knees. Sure he had crushes before, but something about Yami was so damn enticing and aggravatingly mysterious through those tired eyes.

Those damn eyes would be the death of him. The way they looked _through_ Yugi instead of just at him, as if Yami could figure out every single thing that Yugi was hiding deep down inside and was just waiting for it to come out. Coolly relaxed against the elevator walls, Yami crossed his arms across his chest and rested his head backwards, humming absentmindedly after pushing the button.

And of course Yugi just stood there and stared. He couldn't help it. At this point in time, he could be considered a voyeur or a down right creep if Yami caught Yugi scrutinizing him and damn near undressing him with his eyes, picturing him naked even. Under that dirty uniform had to be some muscles somewhere. Someone that looked that damn good didn't have a slim waist from eating fast food every day.

Yugi mimicked Yami's stance and stood as he did, crossing his arms around his more petite chest as he stood against the elevator wall. Speaking of which, the thing appeared to be moving up an unusually slow ascent, or maybe that was just wishful thinking on Yugi's part. The subconscious part of him wanted to stay inside this elevator with Yami for a very long time. Maybe even all night.

Wait a sec, what was Yugi thinking? He had work to do! And midnight would be here before he knew it so he had no time to—

His mindless musing was suddenly brought to a halt when the lights flickered on and off and the elevator suddenly came to a stop. Yugi looked at the buttons on the side and saw that they were only on the fifth floor. At first he just assumed that someone else was joining them, but soon Yami realized that the door wasn't opening.

"Weird," he mumbled to himself. Pushing his cart out of the way, Yami tried prying the door open with his hands.

Nothing.

He then tried pressing the 'open' button on the side.

Still nothing.

"Something wrong?" Yugi asked calmly.

"Nah," Yami said, though slightly alarmed. "It could be just a little glitch or something, no big deal." _At least that's what I'm hoping._

Yugi wasn't so sure that Yami believed his own words. Especially since the look on his face didn't match what he was saying. The temperature wasn't all that warm inside this small cubicle, which didn't ease Yugi's mind in the slightest. But for Yami's sake, he tried to stay calm and blanket his emotions so he wouldn't cause any unwanted anxiety.

After about five minutes however, they were still in the elevator. Yami tried a few times to buzz in someone through the intercom but he couldn't reach anyone. Brushing his hair back with his hand in frustration, Yami turned towards Yugi, smiling apologetically before sliding down the wall to sit down on the floor. He lightly tapped his head against the wall a few times to channel his aggravation, and to also not worry Yugi so much, inhaling and exhaling in sequence. Yugi furrowed his eyebrows looking down at Yami, not knowing what to say, but he didn't want to sit in complete silence either.

At least he was getting his wish.

"Let me guess. We're stuck here," he speculated quietly.

Yami frowned. "I'm afraid so," the janitor replied with a quiet drawl and a sigh. He stared down at the rust colored floor, with sturdy arms at his side, and a slight dejection on his face. He was way too pretty for that. Yugi had never seen anything like it. Sure, getting stuck in an elevator sucked, but he didn't see it as something to get upset over. He couldn't help but notice how attractive Yami looked even when there wasn't a smile on his face, though, irrelevant as that thought was at this particular time.

Figures something like that would pop into Yugi's head before something more important did. Like finding a way out of this thing before he had a panic attack. Yugi was slightly claustrophobic. Add being stuck in an elevator with a handsome stranger, and Yugi was just asking for it. If the cramped space didn't do him in, Yami's presence certainly would.

Options. He needed options. And a distraction. Looking down at a seemingly defeated Yami, Yugi figured that he would take this opportunity to get to know the man. At least, to make up for his unfortunate interaction with Atem earlier. That rich snob.

Yami's cart was in the way, so Yugi moved it. He saw Yami arch an eyebrow and give him the side eye but he didn't move nor respond. Yugi sat next to him, with one knee drawn up to his chest and the other straightened. His nostrils were immediately flared at the scent of classic Old Spice and . . . cinnamon? Marvelous. So not only was Yami painfully good looking, but he smelled delicious on top of it.

Yugi wanted to sit closer, but he didn't want to freak the guy out. It wasn't Yami's fault that Yugi preferred closeness, though his claustrophobia prevented him from completely smothering Yami and hormones made him yearn to embrace him, Yugi could handle sitting at this distance. But the silence was something that he couldn't.

They both suddenly glanced at each other at the same time and unfortunately, Yami got a bird's eye view of Yugi's feverish flush. Smiling like a dork, Yugi immediately looked towards the door, cursing himself out mentally.

"You live around here Yugi?" Yami asked, curiosity getting the better of him and wanting to break down the barriers of the obvious tension inside this place. He could feel it too.

_Breathe Yugi, breathe._ Trying to balance out his phobia and hold a conversation was going to be more of a challenge than he thought. "Yeah, I do."

"Where at, if you don't mind me asking?"

For Yugi's sanity and hyperactive libido, he wished so bad that Yami wouldn't look at him like that. Scarlet eyes full of sheer curiosity and interest, brightening up the whole room. The wondrous glow in Yami's eyes displayed a genuine, honest aura, and that more than anything scared Yugi the most.

"About two miles from here, in San Domino Manor. With my parents." Yugi tightened his jaw to the point of it aching. He hated lying, but it became almost automatic for him. He couldn't remember the last time he told someone the entire truth.

"Wow," Yami marveled, his eyes seemingly brightening up even more. "That explains why you're able to stay at a place like this. Do you like Trinity Plaza?"

"Yeah, I practically live here," Yugi responded without thinking. His stomach began twisting in knots that he didn't think possible. It wasn't that he minded all the questions—Yami was just trying to lighten the mood while they were stuck in this freezing cold elevator—it was just unnerving the way Yami looked at him, as if he cared. As if he knew that Yugi's heart was heavy with something and Yami wanted to help take the load off, piece by piece. Then again, maybe Yugi was overthinking it, and his brain was actually fooling him into believing that this guy wanted to get to know him. Who's to say that Yami wasn't doing this out of sheer boredom until the door was fixed? People were hard to read nowadays, at least until it was too late.

When Yami didn't respond right away, he instead cocked his head to the side, waiting for Yugi to continue. He constricted his eyes slightly, which didn't soothe Yugi's apprehension in the least.

"—Umm, and I go to school with my best friend Joey." _Fuck, his face was heating up again._ "At Domino High."

"And they make you wear uniforms?" Yami queried, surprise mixed with a titter. "It wasn't always like that, as far as I could remember."

"No it wasn't," Yugi confirmed. "Dress code got out of hand. Count on a few people to ruin it for the rest of the school."

"That's usually how it works," said Yami, not holding back his laughter, though Yugi wasn't very amused. He hated his uniform. He laughed when Yugi glared at him. "Don't give me that sour puss. It doesn't look that bad."

"You need to get your eyes checked," Yugi said. "This thing barely keeps me warm."

"Then maybe you should wear something underneath it?"

"Umm . . . " How could Yugi tell Yami without telling him? Nope, that was impossible. _Just keep your mouth shut. _"Then I would get too hot."

"Unbalanced body temperature, hmmm . . ." Yami seemed to be thinking over something but who knew what. It sure made Yugi curious. "You must get cold easily."

A subtle shrug and cocked eyebrow. "Something like that."

Yugi's reserve only made Yami the more interested in him. In hindsight, it only meant that the person had a lot to hide, or they were just incredibly shy. Yami was hoping it wasn't the latter.

"Do you like sports, Yugi?"

"Have you seen me? People could _use_ me as sports equipment."

Yami chuckled a little louder. "Height has nothing to do with how good you are Yugi. There are plenty of below average sized guys in the NBA."

Yugi passed Yami an incredulous stare, which prompted Yami to further prove his point. "Ever heard of Muggsy Bogues?" Yugi gave him a blank stare. "Played for the Charlotte Hornets?" That went right over Yugi's head too. "He's retired now but anyway, he was the shortest player in NBA history. Wanna know how tall he was Yugi?"

"He can't be any shorter than me, right?"

"He was five foot three. How tall are you Yugi?"

"Impossible. How the hell could he reach the goal when he shoots the ball?"

"A miracle."

It was now Yugi's turn to laugh. Yami elevated both of his brows, honestly taken aback that Yugi actually laughed at something that he said. From where Yami was sitting, Yugi couldn't be cracked if he was Humpdy Dumpty. Something about Yugi intrigued him, Yami couldn't figure out what, and if he had to be honest with himself, those lips on top of that rounded, cherubic face was something that Yami wasn't going to forget for a long time either, along with his aloof personality.

"Hmmm, so you don't like sports. No biggie. I'm not a huge fanatic either. What about miniature golf or something more leisurely?"

Yugi shook his head. "Nope. None of that typical guy stuff has interested me."

"Never?"

"No."

". . . Wow."

Yugi made a cross face. "Wow what?"

"Oh, nothing," Yami muttered, shaking his head. "I just thought—"

"That I would be into that kinda stuff like everyone else is?" Yugi exclaimed.

Yami grinned ruefully, reeling. "That was my mistake Yugi. I shouldn't have assumed."

Yugi couldn't help but adore this guy. The way he was so quick to apologize for a preconceived notion that he obviously was wrong about and was willing to correct himself. How could Yugi be angry?

"It's fine," he said, patting Yami on the shoulder. Yugi almost jumped out of his skin when he came in contact with such a firm physique, but he kept a straight face. "People aren't what they appear to be sometimes."

"I'll just be sure not to put my foot in my mouth again," Yami said, commencing a chuckle. "I tend to do that when I'm curious about something . . ."

Or someone. But he didn't voice it. Yugi smirked again and moved a little bit closer to Yami, which made his face heat up immediately. Yami didn't know why. Yugi was growing on him quicker than he wanted to admit or show but he could feel the chemistry flourish between them like a weed in a garden. And all Yami wanted to do was water them so that they could grow even more.

"So what about you, Yami? What do you like to do when you're not at work?" Yugi inquired, bringing his knees to his chest. Being the center of attention was something that Yugi was crazy about, considering how secretive he was about his double life. And there was no way he was opening up to a stranger.

"I like to cook, read, shop online and do other lame shit," Yami said. "Now that I think about it, I never realized how boring my life really is."

"You don't hang out with your friends or family?"

Yami shrugged noncommittally. "Don't have friends. Don't care to. My parents are both retired so I'm with them ninety percent of the time."

"Cool!" Yugi marveled. "Do they live close to you?"

"Yes."

"So you spend a lot of time with them then?"

"They're retired, so yes," Yami snickered, wondering if Yugi heard him the first time.

"Wow." Yugi stared vacantly into the empty space in front of them. Outside of his own authoritative parents, he didn't know if there ever was a dichotomy between that and parents who actually gave a damn about things and people who went beyond their own arrogant, stuck up noses. For a moment or two he felt a pang of jealousy, wishing he had supportive parents like that.

"You okay Yugi?"

Oh, yeah. Staring into space was probably not a good idea in the presence of another person. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. So what did your parents do exactly, what were their occupations?"

"My father was a probation officer and my mother was mail carrier. To this day, I don't know how they did it, but somehow their relationship worked," Yami's eyes filled with admiration as he reminisced the early days of his parents' courting. "Before my father met my mother, he had quite the potty mouth. Could never have a conversation without using the word 'fuck', 'shit' or 'bitch'. His fellow officers hated holding conversations with him because of the amount of profanity that my father spit out of his mouth. They would tease him and tell him to go to the Navy where his dirty language would probably be more fitted."

"So what attracted your dad to her?" Yugi queried.

"I know this may sound cliché, but my mom was the most beautiful woman in the world. Her hair was a golden brown shade reaching all the way down to her hips, which my dad was crazy about when he first saw her. My mother wasn't that tall, but she had a mean left hook that my grandfather taught her when she was a teenager. My dad found that out the hard way."

"What did he do?"

"Well. . . " Yami drawled, "She almost got fired for this but during one of her usual mail deliveries, my dad somehow found out about this mean left hook so he dared my mother to deck him across the face. Of course my mother said no and everyone else thought my dad was finally losing his marbles. He ended up provoking and egging her on until she did it. No one felt bad for my father because the dumb bastard asked for it. He was kind of a bully back then too because of his rank."

"And he thought your mother was an easy target."

Yami nodded. "Bingo. Even though there were witnesses, my mom still received a pretty stern tongue lashing from her boss. Even the people who worked with my dad vouched for my mom, saying he was an asshole and whatnot. That's the only reason my mom got to keep her job, and just to add salt to the wound, she delivered mail to his facility the next day with the biggest smile on her face. I think that's what made him fall for her. She didn't take his bullshit . . ."

He realized that he was rambling at this point, but Yugi seemed so interested in his background so Yami just took the inch and rode with it.

"My mother was a strong willed, independent woman. Her face was dainty and feminine, but her personality was almost cutthroat whenever anyone provoked her. I don't know why that was a turn on for my dad. He's weird."

"Most guys like a challenge," Yugi informed him. "If it's too easy to get, the rest of the world probably had a sample also."

Yami narrowed his eyes as if he were offended. Yugi held up his hands defensively. "Not that I'm calling your mom easy or anything—"

"No, no I get it. I'm not taking offense," Yami said. "What you said actually makes sense."

"Okay, good."

"Yeah . . . that, my mom certainly was. Up until the point when my dad started sending her flowers and candy, and she really started to soften. My dad was so adamant about getting a date with her, he even started mailing things to himself on purpose just so she could drop by," he cackled and facepalmed. "He was ridiculously in love with her."

Yugi started to feel even more jealous. He never even knew his parents to show love towards each other, much less him. Yugi couldn't recall any instance in which they displayed affection between them—at all. They cared about money too much.

"Anyways, I've said a mouthful Yugi. What about your parents? Do they have a fairytale also? I'd love to hear it."

Sure he would have. But Yugi would rather have a root canal than disclose information about the two people whose company that he enjoyed the least in this world. Hence why he didn't live with them anymore. That and other reasons that he refused to talk about with someone as gorgeous . . . and thoughtful . . . and considerate . . . and . . .

Dammit. Here come the floodgates of reproach. Yami opened up about his life, so it was only fair that Yugi do the same, right?

Eh.

The intercom made a feedback noise, which startled Yami to his feet. Yugi watched him impatiently push the white call button, asking if there was any competent humans still left in the building htat could fix an elevator. Yugi had to laugh at that.

"Sennen is that you?"

"Yes Yusei it's me! Any idea on who can fix this damn thing? We've been stuck in here for thirty minutes."

"We?"

"Yes, we. We're on the fifth floor and we both need to be on the tenth but this thing won't budge."

"_We_ need to be on the tenth floor?"

"Is there an echo in here?"

"Is she hot?"

Yami made an ugly face. "Asshole, I'm stuck in a damn elevator, cold and hungry and all you care about is if I got some pussy in here or not? No idiot, there's no girls in here."

Not that it would've mattered anyway if there was one . . .

"Bummer," said Yusei nonchalantly. "Coulda at least busted a few nuts while you were stuck in that bitch."

"Unbelievable," Yami growled indignantly. Yusei's mouth had no filter whatsoever, the manwhore. "Just open the damn door. I have work to do."

Maybe it was Yugi's imagination but Yami seemed a bit annoyed. Not only by Yusei's oh so endearing comments, but also by the fact that he and Yugi couldn't stay stuck long enough for Yugi to tell his life story. Which Yugi wasn't disappointed about in the least. That was a bridge that they had to cross later. Maybe.

A few minutes later, Yami and Yugi were on the tenth floor. Yugi couldn't be happier to see the row of doors on either side of the corridor, or the ceiling to floor windows with black reinforced borders, displaying a palatial view of the downstairs lobby; forest green carpets, artificial palm trees surrounding groups of chairs for people to sit in. Beautiful crystal chandeliers and murals on the ceiling depicted the ancestral origin of the hotel. The same insignia from the murals could be seen on the carpet that Yugi and Yami were standing on, which exhibited hieroglyphs dating back to ancient Egypt. Yugi could only suspect that the newly renovated floor was thanks in part to its lovable owner, Atem . . . whatever his last name was. It would explain his gorgeous mahogany eyes and rich caramel skin. Too bad his attitude sucked.

"Well, I better get to work Yugi," Yami said, scratching the back of his head. "And I'm sure you have things to do also."

"Yeah . . ." though Yugi wasn't comfortable talking about his parents, it didn't mean he wanted to stop talking to Yami. Besides Joey, he was the only other person that he hit it off with. "But it was nice talking to you."

"Same here. You take care. Hopefully I'll see you around?"

Sadness. Fucking sadness took over Yugi. And from where he was standing, Yami had the same sentiment.

"I'm sure you will."

It wasn't fair. Yugi wanted to sit all night with Yami and just talk. About anything. But once again, life got in the way and who knew when they'd be able to shoot the breeze like that again. Trying to hide the rattling disappointment, Yugi inserted the key inside of his door, taking one last look at Yami who was walking down the aisle towards the far opposite end of the hallway before going inside.


	2. Don't be scared

**FLUFF! That is all :) I'll proofread later.**

* * *

A thick musk of sex filled the air, clouding and hazing over Yugi's eyes and thoughts as he lay flat on his back, knees bent to his chest, and legs spread open wider than the Grand Canyon. His vision was blurry at best, and he couldn't put his lips together to conjure up a sentence and ask what was going on around him. As he was trying to gather his wits, he felt another slender yet firm body slither its way between his legs and on top of him, covering Yugi like a blanket, sliding his athletic hips snug against shaky and unsteady thighs. Yugi hitched his breath, fearful of what was going on over him, not knowing what this unknown shadow was doing to him, but he felt the tips of fingers travel talentedly down the side of his body as soft as a rose petal and Yugi moaned. Where that noise came from, he had no idea. He felt a molten desire to embrace whatever or whoever it was that was bringing such an enraptured pleasure to him and keep it to himself. And all it took was a gentle touch.

His heart raced and thumped inside his chest cavity. Beads of sweat poured from his forehead and temples. Yugi's unnamed lover bore their weight slowly on top of his chest, breathing heavily as their slick bodies became one. His vision steadily came to, sharpening Yugi's senses and making him aware of the perfect vanilla skin and scarlet eyes that looked down at him. His sunshine bangs were matted to his forehead, glued there by perspiration, chest heaving up and down, desperate for air. Yugi stared into the eyes that darkened in lust and hunger for him, mouth open and ragged breath escaping from those perfect pink lips. He had to have a taste. He had to feel those plump lips crashing into his, or else he would go completely insane.

"Yami. . ." was all Yugi had to whisper before he got his wish. Wet, sloppy lips met his, pressing against him with lustful energy. Yugi slurped his mouth around Yami's, pivoting his head left and right as he forked his fingers in Yami's hair, massaging the tender scalp. Yami growled and hummed in satisfaction, licking the bottom of Yugi's lip, needing to feel that warm, moist cavity even more. He yearned it, craved for it and wasn't going to let up until he was satiated and filled with Yugi.

Yugi's thick bulge was evident. His heart pumped the adrenaline needed inside him to get this started. He stared into Yami's scarlet eyes, wide with an aching anticipation and begging Yami to make love to him. Smirking to one side of his mouth, Yami once again planted his lips on Yugi's, as if he was reading the thoughts through Yugi's euphoric face, tasting the sweet morsel and delving his tongue inside, playing and studying Yugi's weak spots; movements that might cause him to shiver and quake with Yami's ministrations.

There. He found it. Right below Yugi's jawline, Yami gently nipped the supple skin, producing a shaky moan from Yugi as he automatically arched his back, and his head making a dent in the pillow. Yami kissed him there a little harder and got the same response. Yugi could feel his sanity leaving him the more Yami kissed him, along with the heated passion and fiery drive he didn't know he had. Yugi was his goal, and Yami would stop at nothing to fill himself with this tasty little mystery, if it was the last thing he did.

Yugi's entire upper body felt hot and needy. Yami's lips lowered down from his neck to his chest, sucking, nipping and kissing the entire time. Yugi's hot tempered breath brushed Yami's hair back, trying to take in every jolt of pleasure that ran through this body each time Yami's lips made contact with him. These tender kisses were too much for Yugi to manage, but at the same time he didn't want Yami to stop. His plush lips felt so good against his body and the lower Yami went down on him, the harder Yugi felt. Wanton moans escaped his lips, teeth clenching when Yami kissed right above his navel, swirling the pink muscle inside and out of Yugi's belly button. That took him right over the edge. Pure, raw emotions took Yugi over, coursing through his veins and turning him into a new person altogether.

"I haven't even reached the promised land and you're already about to cream. I can feel it," said Yami, winking at a flushing Yugi who was staring down at him with unrecognizable eyes. The once luminous gleam in those violet pupils was replaced by a dark haze of lust and desire. "Tell me what you want Yugi," Yami then goaded. "Say what's on your mind. I wanna hear it."

Yugi couldn't even put two words together much less say them. The dizzying hunger for sex muddled his sound judgment and hindered his faculties. Yami knew this and he was going to use it towards his advantage. He slid back up Yugi's body, very very slowly but Yugi could feel every single inch of Yami rubbing against him, sleek and wet skin hovering and grazing his own, and Yugi thought he was going to lose his mind. His erection reached a painfully hard stage, red and tender to the touch and any slight movement could bring Yugi to orgasm. He desperately breathed in as much air as he could while Yami spread his legs open wider and lay in between them, softly kissing Yugi's collarbone. This was pure torture and Yugi didn't know how much his endurance would be able to take before he screamed in defeat.

Yami then lifted Yugi's legs on top of his shoulders, leaning down to distract him with a kiss and brushed his thumb across his cheek as he took his other free hand to prepare Yugi's puckered opening down below. Yami was wary of how susceptible Yugi was to pain and would try with all his might not to cause harm to the little one. He took only one finger and gently brushed the outer ring muscles in a circular motion, but jerking his hand back when Yugi instinctively clenched down on it.

"Ssss!" Yugi immediately hissed like a snake once he felt the taut fingers probe him even mildly, arching his back as he tried to deal with the pain mixed with pleasure. He didn't know which feeling to embrace more, and emotions from all different directions began to plague him. Yami paused a few minutes and waited for Yugi to give the signal that it was okay to try again.

And again Yugi cried out as Yami's dexterous, invasive fingers reduced him to a whimpering mess.

"Mmmm," Yugi whined audibly.

"What was that Yugi?" asked Yami playfully.

"Fuck you. . ." Yugi managed to choke out in between breaths.

"I will in a minute."

"Quit teasing me."

"I can't help it Yugi, I like to see you squirm."

"Yami—"

"Yes?" came the sing song voice.

Yugi inhaled sharply, arching his back and holding on to Yami's forearms as a seductive chill took him over. "Please . . ."

"Please what?" Yami chuckled, bringing his moist lips to Yugi's damp neck. Yugi cringed and sunk himself deeper into the mattress. "Please what Yugi?"

Yugi couldn't even think straight. Everything he wanted to say evaporated and got lost in his hollow brain. He squirmed and twitched himself underneath Yami, hoping that his body language would speak better than his absent words would. He'd never . . . been through something like this. It was so much to take in at once and wasn't sure if his body could handle such an experience.

"Talk to me Yugi," Yami pleaded in a husky voice. "I can't know what you want unless you tell me."

Yami's whisper sent chills up and down Yugi's spine. His head was turned to the side, too bashful to look up at the man who was his every wish and desire. Eyes closed tightly, Yugi whimpered and gripped both of Yami's forearms in his hands, inhaling sharply when Yami's cold fingers invaded him. It felt so good, so bad, so . . . Yugi didn't know what to feel. Different ranges of emotions were hitting him simultaneously, using him as their punching bag.

"Ahhh . . . " he cried out, unwittingly arching his hips up when Yami probed deeper into him. Yugi jerked his head from side to side, whining wantonly and biting his bottom lip to prevent screaming. Yami lifted himself to Yugi's ear, gently biting down on the lobe, making Yugi moan even more.

"No Yugi. Let me hear you, let me feel you," Yami whispered.

Fuck, that sexy voice was going to be the death of him. Yugi melted and faltered under Yami's skilled fingers. Desperate lips met indulgent ones, with Yugi's trembling hands massaging the back of Yami's head, moaning into his mouth each time he felt those talented digits inside of him. More and more did Yami spread Yugi apart, feeling comforting warmth from Yugi's sweet passage down below. Yugi welcomed the sultry wave of pleasure, rewarding Yami's stimulating fingers with a moan or a satiated sigh of relief. When the pleasure was too much to bear, Yugi broke the kiss and moaned into the damp and moist air, indenting the pillow underneath him, gasping for air. He thrusted his hips upward against Yami's fingers, breathlessly begging him, "Just fuck me already!"

"Not with that tone," Yami growled playfully, grazing his nose against Yugi's cheek. "Now ask me nicer."

"Yami!—" Yugi groaned, spreading his legs apart and bringing his knees to his chest. "Please. . . .?"

"That's not good enough," Yami said, positioning himself snugly in between Yugi's thighs and straightening his arms on either side of his head. "Beg me harder."

Yugi swallowed, fear taking him over as Yami's intimidating scarlet irises stared down at him hard and intently. The way Yami scrutinized him with that lustful glint and dilated gaze, told Yugi how badly he wanted this. He brought a hand to Yami's face and Yami leaned into Yugi's soft touch, sighing contently and closing his eyes.

Yugi didn't need words. His eyes said everything Yami wanted to know.

Opening his eyes again, Yugi felt his blood grow cold at the way Yami bore down on him. "Are you ready?"

Panic seeped into Yugi's veins. "F-f-for what?" he asked slowly.

"For this."

Yami then proceeded to insert his hard fleshy member inside of Yugi's virginal passage as gently as he could. Yugi's eyes shot wide open and he uttered a strangled cry, clenching every single muscle in his body as Yami filled him to maximum volume. Yami winced, feeling guilty when he witnessed the pained expression on Yugi's face. He didn't want to hurt the little one but Yugi felt so damn good, so tight, Yami could only hold off for so long before he drove his entire self inside the tantalizing opening, over and over again.

"Y-Y-Yami…" Yugi panted.

Yami leaned down to Yugi's ear and whispered, "Are you okay?"

"I…I th-think so," Yugi stammered. "I've just…I've never…"

"Done this before," Yami interjected with a knowing smile. "I had a feeling. But don't worry Yugi, I'll take good care of you."

Yugi blushed, avoiding Yami's eyes. "O-okay."

"Look at me Yugi," Yami requested, cupping his chin. "I want to see those beautiful eyes."

Yugi felt so shy and timid about this whole thing. It was so new and alien to him that he wasn't sure if he was going about this right. Everything from head to toe scared him; the rushing waves of fear, clashing with the overpowering desire to ravish Yami with everything he had and with every fiber in his being. Yugi couldn't stand this, but at the same time he wanted to embrace it and never let it go.

Yami didn't move until Yugi looked him in the eye and subtly nodded for him to continue. His chest swelled as he dealt with being completely engulfed inside of Yugi, feeling his erection expand and fill Yugi to the brim, wanting so bad to grind and pound Yugi's insides, but he couldn't. Yami then slowly withdrew himself, hearing Yugi whimper and shiver as he removed himself up until only the tip of his dick was inside of Yugi. Yami felt a flush spread across his face as he hoisted himself up above Yugi with his mouth hung open, scarlet tint in his eyes transfixing into a darker hue of lust. He was so painfully hard that it was unbearable but at the same time, Yami didn't want to hurt Yugi with unyielding thrusts that would leave the little one scarred for life.

Yugi held Yami by the hips and slowly thrusted upward. Yami hissed and his eyes rolled to the back of his head the more Yugi continued. The pace was gentle and meticulous, and the mixture of Yugi and Yami's thick and heavy pants exchanged between them as they continued to grind against each other. Yugi was slowly becoming less aware of his physical body; his mental awareness was gradually reduced to nothingness. The more Yami filled him over and over again, the less Yugi cared about the pain between his legs. He could feel nothing but Yami's hips and groin pounding into him with deadly accuracy. Yugi began to writhe under Yami in absolute pleasure as the tender and merciful thrusts turned frantic and unyielding. His thighs quaked and he was having more and more trouble keeping his legs up.

Yugi was getting lost into the foggy, sensuous spell. If honesty was imperative, this was what he wanted all along. Yami on top of him, thrusting and moaning above him, breathing into his neck and curving into Yugi's own upward bucking pelvis, meeting the harsh, passionate movements that Yami was crashing down on him. It gave Yugi a feeling that he couldn't put into words or phrases. Each time he opened his mouth, the only sound that he could vocalize was a piercing moan or breathless whine.

More . . . he conjured up into his mind. Please, I need more.

Yugi didn't realize that he was looking into Yami with those pleading violet eyes, begging him to completely take him. Yami saw the look on his face and knew what Yugi was thinking, and not missing a beat, he picked up the pace of his thrusts, each one precise and sharp, driving Yugi into a state of pure rapture. Yugi couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't speak, and each time he tried to utter a mere noise, Yami's mind numbing, pulsating weight interrupted him, forcing Yugi deeper and deeper into the mattress.

"Ah—Ahh Yami!" the stimulation was simply driving Yugi mad and he couldn't take anymore. Yami felt so good inside of him, but he didn't know how much more he could endure before he lost control of his bodily functions. Yami was sinking deeper than he thought possible and in the heat of the moment, crashed his pale lips against Yugi's as he enveloped their fingers together and pinned Yugi's arms above his head.

"Fuck….fuck yes," Yugi heard Yami hiss under his breath against his skin as his twitching cock jerked inside the confines of Yugi's body, desperate for release, but not wanting the sex to end. Yami's figure above Yugi became cloudy and faded as an overcast of passion took over his senses. His body wasn't use to such pleasure and pain but Yugi knew that this couldn't stop. He and Yami. Together as one, where he belonged. This was paradise.

Yugi was beginning to lose the feeling in his legs. His abdomen swelled and pooled as a wave of exhaustion took him over. Cries of euphoria occupied the air, desperate pleas for more escaped Yugi and Yami's mouths and Yugi wrapped his legs tightly around Yami's hips, wanting to ride every bump of this orgasmic roller coaster. Yami's thrusts were now so fast and vigorous that Yugi had trouble keeping up, even when using the mattress as extra force to crash his hips into Yami's to meet the vast treatment, but to no avail. Yugi could feel his entire body leaving him.

His muscles tensed badly to the point where they were cramping. Ignoring the pain, Yugi's hips bucked up like a crackwhip against Yami's as his climax took him over, his legs locking tightly around Yami's waist and arms around his neck, crying out in ecstasy as a bright flash of white took over his vision. Yugi came, his white substance exploding over Yami's chest and part of his neck, holding onto his shoulders for dear life.

He collapsed on his back when he could no longer withstand it, staring with vacant, half mast eyes at Yami as he arched his back and moaned Yugi's name, releasing his essence inside of his lover at full speed, plunging into Yugi so hard, it nearly knocked the breath out of him. Yugi used what was left of his energy and cocooned his twitching thighs tighter around Yami, desperate to feel all of him inside him until the very end of his orgasm. Yugi felt every inch of Yami's cock convulsing inside of his body as he rode out the climatic waves, and at the same time struggling to find his sanity again.

Essential blood returned to Yugi's head and he was aware of his physical self once again. His wrists were still bound to the mattress by Yami's arms but Yugi was too out of it to ask him to let go. Yugi's heart thumped relentlessly in his chest and sweat pooled from every single pore in his body. Tired didn't even begin to explain how he felt but he also felt a sense of completion from making love to Yami. Completion that he wanted to feel again and again in the future.

Yami's head was bowed and dipped low above Yugi, so his facial expression was unknown. But Yugi could notice his chest rising and falling at a rapid pace and he wondered if the sex was too much for Yami. Almost on cue, as if he was a mind reader, Yami lifted his head and Yugi was stunned at the metamorphosis. More than half of Yami's face was red, his eyes were glazed over, perspiration settled on his forehead, nose and cheeks. He panted slightly as he sank his body on top of Yugi's harboring a feeble moan from him as Yami rested on Yugi's collarbone and against his neck.

"Yugi…"

"Y-y-yes Yami?" he replied with a croak in his voice.

"Yugi…..Yugi…."

* * *

"Yugi? Yugi? Yugi are you in there? It's me."

Yugi's squeezed his eyes shut, body feeling drained of all its fluids and resources. His right hand was terribly cramped and his right shoulder felt all types of sore for whatever strange reason.

A course knock on the door brought him to his senses. "Yugi? I'm sorry if I've awakened you, but I need to clean your room. Are you in there?"

That voice sounded so familiar. Yugi groaned and slowly opened his eyes, wary of the bothersome sunlight that entered through his window. He waited a few seconds for his eyes to adjust, feeling an uncomfortable wetness in between his legs. It would've been normal if Yugi was about three years old but he was far too old to pee in the bed anymore.

"What is this…?" he said to himself groggily, removing the sheets from over him. To his surprise, there was semen all over his hand, between his thighs, dripping down his legs, and practically all over the bed. "Oh God, did I just…?" Yugi stared in horror, thinking that this was just a bad dream or weird hallucination and he hadn't woken up yet. Yeah . . .that's it. Because there was no way that he could've dreamed of having sex with a complete stranger and then jacking off to it. No damn way. He couldn't have lost control that easily.

There was another knock on the door that broke his concentration. "Yugi are you in there? It's me."

Crap! The last person Yugi wanted to see was outside and he had no time to clean up. Yugi jumped out of bed, getting caught up in the sheets falling to the floor with a loud thump. He cursed out loud and cradled his injured shoulder while trying to stand on his feet, only to discover that they were still a bit wobbly. "No . . . no way did I dream of having sex with Yami," he mumbled to himself. Sure the guy was good looking but Yugi didn't know anything about him and it was way too soon to be catching feelings.

"I don't like Yami," he whispered. He repeated the mantra in his head as he tried to find the pants that he went to bed in the night before. Now that he thought about it, Yugi didn't even remember taking a shower or changing into his pajamas. Something—or someone had been preoccupying the space in his head that was supposed to be reserved for his Economic project for school—

Oh no, school! He totally forgot that he was supposed to meet Joey in front of his parents' house. "Dammit!" Yugi yelled, scrambling to the other side of the bed and thankfully finding his pants from the day before. There was an alarm clock on the nightstand, which read 8:15. School started at 8:30! Yugi was totally going to be late to meet Joey and his first class of the day.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck my life," he groaned, throwing on his clothes, socks and shoes before hearing another knock on the door. He knew it was Yami, but there was no way Yugi was going to let him inside when there was cum all over the bed. He'd die of embarrassment if Yami knew what he was up to.

"Yugi, are you okay in there?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine! I'll be out in a minute!" he called back. Yugi ripped the ivory white sheets from the bed, almost gagging at the sight and smell of his own gelatinous semen before tossing the sheets under the bed. Wait no, Yami will still find them under there. Yugi removed the sheets and ran towards the bathroom and turned on the shower. This would prove fruitless but he couldn't just leave the sheets on the bed without raising suspicion.

He ran back towards the bed and scowled indefinitely. There was a huge wet spot on the mattress where he had lain! Yugi facepalmed and wondered just how badly he jerked himself off last night. Feeling like an absolute pervert and not knowing what else to do, Yugi ran back into the bathroom, took the soaked sheets and placed them back on the bed. There was no way he could hide all of this before he let Yami in and he had no time anyway. God, he was never going to live this down and Yami would probably never speak to him again after this. Maybe if Yugi rushed past him, he wouldn't have to explain himself. One could only try.

Pulling himself together, Yugi walked towards the front door and opened it. There stood Yami, looking way too handsome to be a housekeeper in his navy blue work jumpsuit and Apple earphones hanging around his neck. His scarlet eyes were even more vivid in the daytime, emitting an invisible radiation and magnifying aura around him. His skin glistened with sweat and his lips bore a pretty pastel pink, almost too unreal to be natural. Yugi couldn't tell his legs to keep walking past him, as he was too distracted by this drop dead gorgeous sex god standing in front of him.

"Good morning you," Yami grinned, stunning Yugi out of his stupor with the bass of his voice. "Did you sleep well last night?"

Oh, if only he knew. Yugi stared stupidly at Yami before he nodded his head yes, but his damn tongue was tied and twisted inside of his mouth, and all he could think about was that wet dream. Yami looked just as delectable in real life than he did in Yugi's fantasy.

"Yes, yes I slept fine," he replied sharply and quickly. "But I'm running late to school, so sorry I can't talk."

"It's perfectly fine," Yami replied coolly. "We could talk when you get back, if that's okay?"

_If I don't molest you first, that is. _"That's cool with me."

Yugi said he was running late for school, but from where Yami was standing he wasn't in any type of rush to leave. "Pardon me for asking, but didn't you wear that yesterday?"

"It's a uniform," Yugi deadpanned, somewhat teasingly.

Yami wheezed a chuckle. "Yes, but I also remember seeing that ketchup stain as well."

"Oh. . ." Yugi flushed as he looked down at his outfit to examine himself. Sure enough the ketchup stain on his shorts courtesy of one Joey Wheeler—

Yugi nearly screeched in frustration when Joey crossed his mind. "I gotta go!" he yelled and before Yami could say anything else, Yugi was already halfway down the hall towards the elevators. He pressed the lobby button number like a madman and looked back at his room and saw that Yami had already walked in . . . Yugi's stomach dropped when he imagine the look on Yami's face when he would discover all that . . .

"Ugh!" Yugi groaned audibly. He would probably have to avoid Yami for the rest of his life now. "Why won't this fucking thing open?" he grimaced punching the down button on the elevator wall repeatedly. The thing was taking too long for Yugi's liking. Finally, after a few more seconds, the door opened. Yugi practically jumped inside and immediately commanded the cubicle to the first floor lobby.

He tapped his foot impatiently. Yugi was beginning to feel super stressed out and the day barely even started. Joey must have been at his parents' house by now and if that were true, Yugi's secret would be out and he wasn't ready for Joey to know yet. He had no clue when or even how he was going to tell Joey that—

"Oof!" Yugi collided with an unmovable force when the elevator stopped, the door opened and he sprinted out of the cubicle without looking. He sprawled backwards, right back inside the elevator, straight on his ass and tailbone. He ignored the shooting pain as he stood back up and locked gazes with two very angry wine colored eyes.

"Walk much?"

Asshole much? Yugi chose to ignore Atem's snarky remarks for today. He already had enough on his mind. He glared at the man and rolled his eyes, giving him the cold shoulder as he walked by, not taking a second glance back like he would have done with Yami. Atem scoffed and adjusted the neck collar of his Calvin Klein suit before entering the elevator.

After convincing Tristan that everything was fine, Yugi sprinted down the street of Trinity Boulevard, past the numerous palm trees, coffee shops and other business districts, skateboarders, pedestrians (nearly running them over) and the rest of the world that seemed to just skirt by Yugi in a blur since he was in too much of a hurry to enjoy his surroundings. Ignoring the ache in his calf muscles and sharp cold wind that pierced through his clothes, Yugi literally didn't stop until he reached his parents house.

Of course, he couldn't just show up from the side of the road if Joey was waiting for him. Yugi had to sneak towards the side of the house and make up some excuse for why he wasn't coming from the front door. He sighed despondently as the thought of coming up with another lie to tell his best friend was starting to mentally drain him. Yugi hated this with a passion, so why was he letting it continue?

He didn't even know.

Clutching his chest while he gasped for air, he tiptoed to the side of his parents' Victorian abode. Autumn leaves were everywhere and it was hard for Yugi not to step on one and make an awfully loud crunching sound. Even when he pasted himself to the wall and peeked around the corner, he couldn't see Joey in the front. "Dammit," he mumbled irritably, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand and inching closer towards the front side of the house. The annoying vines and twigs strewn about the gutters were making it hard to be inconspicuous and stealthy. Yugi hid behind a tall sakura tree and peeked around it, still seeing no sign of Joey or life in general. Part of him was relieved but the other part wondered if Joey had left or if he was lurking about the premises as well.

At least his parents were gone, evidenced by the empty driveway. Yugi took in a purging breath and made his way around the tree towards the front gate of his mom and dad's house. When he got to the entrance, Joey wasn't there. Yugi looked to his left and right but he appeared to be the only one there.

"Looking for someone?"

Or not. The sudden voice startled Yugi and he jumped high enough that only the tips of his toes were touching the ground and he spun around on his heels, only to be confronted with a pair of bronze colored eyes that belonged to Joey Wheeler. Yugi nearly choked on his own hitched breath as he stumbled backwards a few steps until he was against the steel tipped fence, exchanging wary looks with his best friend.

"Joe—Joey, there you are!" Yugi exclaimed.

Joey didn't answer right away. Instead, he perused Yugi up and down, examining him from head to toe, as if looking for some shred of evidence or plausible reason as to why they were so late for school. But initially, he couldn't find one. "Do you know what time it is?"

Yugi frowned. "I know, I know and I'm sorry about that. I overslept."

"So that's why you've been ignoring my calls and texts," Joey muttered.

"Yeah."

Joey curled his lips to the sighed and hummed amusedly. "And you couldn't respond back to let me know that you woke up late?"

"Joey please," Yugi protested. "I literally had to rush outta my room and throw my clothes on. And my phone was on silent. Don't hassle me man."

"Who's hassling you?" Joey countered. "I'm just saying you could've let me know. And furthermore, your parents said you weren't even here when I knocked on the door. But you said you overslept? How didn't they notice that you were still here if you never left your room?"

"That's just it. They didn't."

"You didn't tell them you were headed off to school?"

"No, Joey."

Shit. Joey was beginning to catch on to the plot holes in Yugi's alibi. His throat tightened as he wondered just how much his parents had told Joey about his whereabouts.

"Strange. I would want my kid to tell me when he was leaving the house. But then again, that's just me." Joey crossed his arms and continued to glare down at Yugi. He tilted his head downward and noticed that Yugi was missing his backpack. "Well, it's no wonder you didn't receive anything from me. You don't even have your book bag with you. Yugi, where's your homework and stuff? And did you even start planning the project?"

Yugi was beginning to get a headache from all the damn questions. It was almost as bad as getting a lecture from his parents. "No Joey," he groaned. "I didn't. I'll explain to you on the way to school, but we're already ten minutes late."

"What the hell did you do last night? Joey demanded. "You're usually so punctual and organized Yugi. Did something happen?"

More like someone happened. Yugi wrestled down a blush and a smile when the image of Yami's debonair face entered into the corridors of his mind. Clearing his throat, Yugi shook his head. "No of course not," he responded. "I just couldn't sleep is all."

"And apparently couldn't take a shower either. Is that—"

"Yes, the same uniform I wore yesterday, now let's go."

Without hearing another rebuttal from Joey, Yugi trotted off to school. He didn't need added stressors on top of his potential crush on a stranger that he literally just met twenty-four hours ago. Yugi already had enough on his plate without thinking of the possibility of falling for another person.

Especially of the same sex.

_No. I don't like Yami. I can't,_ Yugi thought dejectedly to himself. The notion was enough to somewhat make him sad, but he couldn't expect anything good to come from this. Honestly. Yami was probably dating someone anyways. A female most likely.

Why was this news unsettling to Yugi? He couldn't explain his disputing emotions, why they acted as polar opposites, never coming to an agreement. It was frustrating how he never acted upon his feelings for fear of rejection and even ridicule. Hell, Yugi was still having a tough time accepting how he was. That's why he hadn't told Joey the entire truth yet.

Everything was just too damn complicated.

Joey and Yugi ended up being about forty-five minutes late for school. Everyone, including the school administrators, seemed to be shocked by Yugi's tardiness. He usually never missed a minute of school unless excused otherwise, but he just strolled in with Joey like it was any other day. Yugi was too mentally exhausted to explain to everyone what happened. It wasn't like he was going to tell the truth anyways.

He was sitting near the far right hand corner of his math class, not really paying attention to the proposed lesson, and vacantly staring out of the window. The wind blustered and swayed the countless autumn leaves from the unstable branches, overlaying the concrete with their brown essence. The wind pounded against the pane, the hinges emitting a subtle creak. The outside world was somewhat dismal but it still appeared far more interesting than being inside this place. Yugi didn't see the point of this class anyways. Was it going to help with his cosmetology career? Especially since he already knew how to do the material. This was boring, and Yugi was anxious for this day to end already, especially since Joey was annoyed with him and barely spoke on the way to school. Which was more stress on his shoulders.

His mind aimlessly wandered back to Yami again. Yugi's heart palpitated at the thought of Yami finding the disgusting secretions on his bed. God, will he even have been able to face him? Would Yami even want to be his friend after that?

"Yugi?"

He jerked his head forward, feeling somewhat disoriented. Yugi's neck was cramped from the position of his head being in one place for too long, as he turned his head towards the direction of the voice calling his name.

"Yes?" he asked the teacher, wincing in pain and rubbing his neck.

"You're needed in the front office."

"What for?"

Mrs. Pegasus shrugged her shoulders indifferently. "They didn't say. Just go see what they want."

At least he would be getting a free pass out of class. Yugi headed towards the door and when he went for the handle, he peeked through the slim rectangular shaped window and nearly choked on his gum.

Yami was outside! Carrying his backpack! Yugi was soon plagued with staggering responses inside of his body, ranging from elation to absolute terror. What was Yami doing here? And more importantly, how the hell did he know which class Yugi was in? Oh god, what if he came to yell at Yugi for what he saw in his hotel room?

He didn't realize that his hand was shaking until he grabbed the knob. Yugi shook it a few times to thwart the feeling of nervousness before he tried again. It almost slipped again due to the increase of sweat on his palm, but once he successfully opened the door and stepped outside, Yami's smile appeared to increase ten fold.

Yugi stood against the brick wall, frozen. Scarlet eyes met his unnerved violet ones, giving off the impression of a fiery curiosity within them. Yami still had on his work uniform but he couldn't have been more drop dead gorgeous than he was now. Yugi's insides squirmed with desire and he fought down the aching urges to just jump on Yami and litter him with kisses. Dammit, why were his emotions always at an all time high when he was around this guy? Yugi still couldn't understand.

"Hey Yugi. I was cleaning your room when I found this," Yami unhooked the backpack from around his shoulder. "I thought you might need it. Are you okay?"

It took everything inside of Yugi to even stand without fidgeting. He passed Yami a fake smile and barely squeaked out, "Yes! I'm fine Yami. Thank you for bringing me my bag. I was in a hurry this morning."

"Trust me I could tell," Yami chuckled, smiling freely and sliding his sweaty palms inside his pockets. Being around Yugi always made him feel some type of way. "I hope I wasn't interrupting your lesson."

_I'm actually glad you did._

"You are?"

Holy crap, did Yugi just say that out loud? His heart dropped down to his knees and he literally had to clasp them together to prevent them from shaking hard enough to make Yugi fall to the ground. His chest felt swelled and his head felt as though it was going to explode from the constant back and forth messages that his brain was sending to the rest of his body. He tried his hardest to hide how he was feeling inside but from the way Yami looked at him with avid concern, he probably knew what was going on.

"Are you sick Yugi? You're looking a bit pale. Or maybe it was something you ate?"

Oh great, he was showing concern now. "No, I'm fine Yami. I'm just a little sleepy."

"You didn't rest last night?"

"I did but . . . " Yugi had to stop himself before he said _I had a dream that I was having wild, passionate sex with you. _Instead he just passed Yami a counterfeit smile and said, "It's nothing, really."

"Hmmm, for some reason I don't believe you Yugi. No offense."

Yugi shook his head slightly, pinning his arms behind his back and leaning against them on the wall, looking off in the distance. "I wasn't expecting you to."

Yami was beginning to believe that there was more to Yugi than meets the eye, but at the same time, he didn't want to sound like a nagging father. Technically, Yugi was still a client at his place of business, and there was a strict no fraternization policy enforced at Trinity Plaza, thanks in part to the owner. But something in Yami couldn't help but be intrigued, curious, nosy even. It was like an itch he could no longer ignore, begging to be scratched. He took a step towards Yugi and almost immediately he saw Yugi tense up. He didn't turn his head to face Yami but he was aware of his warm presence.

_Please go away before I kiss you. I can't handle being this close._

"Yugi? Your backpack?"

"Huh?" Yugi turned his head at Yami vacantly. "My what?"

"Here."

"Oh. Yeah." Yugi retrieved said satchel from Yami's grip. Their fingers lightly brushed against each other and that was all it took to give Yugi a full-fledged boner. He gasped and clutched the knapsack in front of him to hide the erection. "Thanks again for bringing it to me. I know you didn't have to, but you did. I appreciate it."

"No problem, Yugi."

Yugi suddenly felt compelled to repay Yami's kindness. "Is there anything I can do to show my appreciation?"

"Well you already said thank you Yugi, that's good enough for me."

God, so he's selfless too? Yami was perfect. "I don't know. I just feel bad that you had to come all the way over here during your shift when you didn't have to. I just don't want you to get in trouble. Especially with the owner roaming around—"

"Who, Atem? Ahh, he's not so tough. He just has to act like that to maintain his so called 'image'. I'm not afraid of people like him. Deep down, they're fragile like everyone else."

Yugi frowned. "So you don't get along with him either, huh?"

"Not really," Yami replied, shaking his head no. "I stay out of his way most of the time, which is easy since I keep to myself anyway."

That sounded awfully familiar. Yugi was starting to think that he and Yami were more alike than he realized. Both were loners except for the fact that Yugi had a friend in Joey, but other than that, he talked to no one. His parents never really let him hang out with people "below" them, which was ridiculous. Money never mattered much to Yugi. He realized quickly that those who had too much of it were pathetically miserable, if his parents were an indication of that.

"I ran into him twice and both times, he was incredibly rude," Yugi told him. "I'd rather not there be a third."

"Don't stress over it. If he starts being a jerk to you again, just come to me."

"Really?" Yugi beamed. "You mean that Yami?"

"Well," Yami drawled. "There is one condition."

Yugi narrowed his eyes. "Yeah?"

"I kinda went through your bag and saw your Economics paper and read the synopsis. Your backpack was opened and when I went to pick it up, the folder fell out and curiosity got the best of me. So if you need any help with anything—"

Yugi held his hand up to interrupt. "I know where you're going with this Yami and I can't accept it."

"Are you sure?" said Yami. "I told you that I like to cook, didn't I? I could help with your recipe project."

"No Yami, I can't let you, I'm sorry. Joey and I need to do this on our own."

Yugi knew that part of the reason he was refusing Yami's help was out of his own childish fear that he would actually grow deeper feelings for him; feelings that he wasn't sure he knew how to deal with. Pushing Yami away just seemed easier. He rubbed his perspiring palms on his pants and even though the weather was cool outside, Yugi couldn't have felt warmer being in Yami's presence.

"I'm sorry. I'm being too friendly," Yami confessed apologetically. "I mean we just met so there's no need for me to be so pushy."

"No! No, don't say that Yami. You're not being pushy. Believe me, I appreciate the offer."

". . .But?"

A sigh was all that Yugi could give. How could he reject someone so genuine and kind? What was wrong with him? "Nothing, I guess. I just don't want to waste your time."

"Even though I was the one who offered?" Yami snickered. "I already told you Yugi that I don't do much when I'm not working. This would be stimulating for me."

_You and me both,_ Yugi thought, although his idea of stimulation was more than likely way more risqué than Yami's. He wiped the devious smirk from his face before Yami could notice it, and then mentally chastised himself for even going down that route. Though part of him couldn't help it.

"So what can you cook?"

"Oh, all types of things," Yami said. "Chicken stir fry, stuffed French toast, baked chicken with lemon, Dijon salmon—"

"Okay, okay you're making me hungry," Yugi interjected with a giggle. "Man, those all sound so good. But still . . . I couldn't ask you to make us all that stuff."

"You're not," Yami shrugged. "I love to cook. I don't see it as a task or job."

"You ever thought about making a career out of it?"

Yugi didn't realize that his curiosity of Yami was getting the better of him again.

"All the time," he replied softly. "I just don't have the time. Or money."

"There's financial aid that you can get I'm sure," Yugi informed him. "Don't be so quick to give up."

"I'm not giving up," Yami insisted. "There's just not a lot of resources out there for me. I mean, I never even finished high school."

"Neither did Harry Potter and look what he accomplished," Yugi laughed, but then cleared his throat when he saw that Yami wasn't laughing with him. "Look, all I'm saying is don't give up. There must be something you can do to start doing what you love."

"Hmm," Yami mused carefully. He held his chin in a cupped fist, taking in everything that Yugi said and contemplating his next move. "I'll look into it. As long as you let me cook for you tonight."

"Yami, that's not fair!" Yugi whined. "We're talking about your future here, right? Don't gamble that on me."

"It's not a gamble," Yami replied. "It's just me extending a hand of friendship to someone who obviously needs it."

Yugi froze in place. Was it really that obvious? His loneliness and aloof persona? Surely Yami couldn't have picked up his behavior in a matter of less than twenty-four hours right? Yugi snorted and threw his backpack over his shoulders, crossing his arms in defense.

"Did I strike a nerve Yugi? I'm sorry if I did. I wasn't trying to offend you."

"No," Yugi droned. "I just need to get back to class. But thanks again for bringing my bag to me Yami."

Yami frowned a bit, and Yugi could see the disappointment in those illuminating, breath taking eyes. "I'll take that as a yes," he murmured. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Yugi waved a dismissive hand, adamantly avoiding eye contact. This scrutiny was beginning to be a bit much. "I'll just see you later then Yami?"

"Yeah, sure."

Yugi noticed Yami's head was hung down low, hands still in his pockets, squinting his eyes as he tried to shield them from the blinding sunlight. He had one leg perched up against the wall as he stood next to Yugi, and his entire aura changed to that of a sad disposition. His once jovial scarlet pupils now exhibited rejection and disappointment. That was the last thing Yugi wanted Yami to feel. He knew that in his heart he wanted to develop a friendship but other than Joey, Yugi didn't know how to establish a connection, whether it be romantic or platonic.

"I'm sorry I bothered you Yugi," Yami smiled sadly, pushing himself off of the wall to turn his back. "I'll see you later."

A sharp jolt of pain stuck Yugi's heart like an arrow. He didn't know what to feel or do about this situation, but something deep inside his core told him that he shouldn't pass this opportunity up. Yugi usually had good and bad vibes about people from the beginning and Yami's energy always came off as peaceful and authentic to Yugi. Why let this chance go because of a little fear?

This was stupid. As Yami took his leave down the hallway and towards the front entrance of the school with his head hung low in dejection, Yugi ran after him. He almost ran into the school's flagpole as he darted around the corner and down the long corridor, which harbored bathrooms and janitors' closets on either side. Regaining his balance quickly, Yugi's shoes scuffed the concrete as he struggled to use what little momentum he had in his short legs to catch up with Yami. As Yami was approaching the gate, Yugi grabbed his arm, while clutching his chest at the same time, gasping and heaving for air.

"Yugi?" Yami arched his eyebrows in surprise. "Is something wrong?"

Yugi took a few seconds to answer back. "How does lemon meringue sound?"

"For dinner?"

"For dessert."

Yami couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. "Tonight at the diner?"

Yugi only contemplated for a second. "Sounds good to me."

"Then it's a date!" Yami said a little too enthusiastically and before he knew it, he planted a kiss on Yugi's cheek before walking away towards the entrance.

Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Yugi walked back to his classroom wondering what the hell he was going to wear tonight.


End file.
